Colorado @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2014 ) Colorado 4, St. Louis 5

The St. Louis Cardinals will skip Michael Wacha's turn in the rotation when they try for a three-game sweep of the visiting Colorado Rockies on Sunday. Wacha returned Sept. 4 after missing two-plus months with a shoulder injury, but St. Louis manager Mike Matheny told reporters "it doesn't quite feel right and it doesn't look right" after a bullpen session Thursday, and will instead give the ball to rookie Marco Gonzales. The Cardinals are off Monday and Matheny said he hasn't set his rotation as they try to protect a 3 1/2-game lead over Pittsburgh in the National League Central.

St. Louis, which has won 12 straight September home games dating to last season, raced to a four-run lead after two innings and held on for a 5-4 victory Saturday. Colorado is on pace to register the worst road record in team history (25-56 in 2003) after falling to 20-54 away from home - 0-5 on their six-game road trip - but scored three or more runs for the first time in 11 road games. The Rockies give the ball to Jordan Lyles, who is winless in his last six starts.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Jordan Lyles (6-2, 4.20 ERA) vs. Cardinals LH Marco Gonzales (2-2, 5.01)

Lyles received a no-decision after yielding one run and three hits in six innings of a 3-2 loss to the Mets in New York on Monday. The 23-year-old South Carolina native is 0-1 with a 5.24 ERA in his last six turns after winning Aug. 6 in his first start since returning after missing two months with a broken hand. Lyles faced St. Louis once while with Houston and received a no-decision after allowing four runs in 6 1/3 innings of a 5-4 loss at Busch Stadium on July 10, 2013.

Gonzales is coming off a pair of relief appearances after going 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in four starts. The 22-year-old made his major-league debut some 60 miles from his hometown of Fort Collins, Colo., on June 25 when he received a no-decision after permitting five runs and seven hits in five innings of St. Louis' 9-6 victory over the Rockies. Gonzales, who was the 19th overall pick by the Cardinals in 2013, won his last start 13-2 against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 30 for his first major-league win.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis LF Matt Holliday on Saturday homered for the second straight game against his former team and is hitting .397 (10-for-20 this season) with 11 home runs against Colorado.

2. Rockies 1B Justin Morneau (.315), second in the NL batting race to Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison (.317), did not play Saturday because of left-side intercostal soreness and remains day-to-day.

3. Cardinals rookie Oscar Taveras on Saturday improved to 6-for-12 as a pinch hitter with a two-out RBI single in the sixth to give the Cardinals a 5-1 lead.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 3, Rockies 2